This is the 641bhp Lamborghini Urus super-SUV

After many leaks and previews Lamborghini has finally unveiled their new Urus super-SUV to the world and its looks are likely to cause divide amongst fans of the raging bull the world over.

As you can see, Lamborghini has re-defined the design from the concept that first debuted some five plus years ago. This marks the Italian supercar makers return to the SUV sector after nearly a 30-year absence since their last entry, the LM002, which ceased production in the early 1990’s.

What we have here is a piece of design that on paper simply shouldn’t work, but in the metal looks every inch a proper raging bull. What Lamborghini have done is taken the existing signature front design and then adapted it a larger, taller body with the results being a surprisingly svelte looking, almost coupe style SUV.

The nose of the car is now outfitted with a host of splitters and purposeful aero intakes along with an all very Lamborghini like hexagonal grille. The hunkered squared-off arches remain with the biggest visual changes coming at the rear of the car where the quad-tailpipe setup has now been lowered, alongside the familial signature LED strip rear lighting arrangement.

What the Urus has achieved with this design though is something quite remarkable. When looking at its rivals, such as Bentley Bentayga, you are greeted with a piece of design that just looks a bit all out of sorts. With the Urus though, Lamborghini has got it spot on. That striking sloping roof design manages to hide the height of the car, making it look less SUV like than its rivals meaning that the result is a sleek and low slung looking car that looks visually stunning from all angles.

Lamborghini claims that despite the curvature of the roofline, the Urus will seat four or five full-sized adults in comfort along with a huge 600-litres of luggage space in the back.

While we all wished for a V12 or would have happily ‘managed’ with a V10 engine, it sadly wasn’t to be. The engine news though is not all bad as the Urus packs a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 borrowed from its group stable-mates the Audi RS6 and Bentley Continental GT. This delivers power to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox.

Now we get to the best part, the fact that the Urus has the power to match those stunning looks. The V8 engine produces 641bhp and 627lb-ft of torque which is good for 0-62mph from standing in just 3.6 seconds. Find enough road and the Urus will crack 189mph. According to Lamborghini, all of this V8 power is good for off-roading whenever the mood takes you.

The most astonishing thing about these numbers is the amount of weight the V8 motor has to haul around. Despite the use of aluminium throughout its construction, the Urus tips the scales at some 2,200kgs.

This V8 motor is also the most fuel-efficient unit ever to be fitted to a Lamborghini with an estimated combined-cycle figure of 22.2mpg. It’s even somewhat friendly to the environment with only 290g/km CO2 being emitted. These figures are achieved by a cylinder-deactivation system that kicks in below 3,000rpm giving the driver a reduced torque output. The twin-turbocharged unit is also mounted low in the car giving it an optimal centre of gravity.

The four-wheel-drive system in the Urus is equipped with a Torsen self-locking differential. This gives a torque split of 40/60 to either of the independent front and rear axles. This setup allows for up to 70% of the torque to be sent to the front wheels, or 87% to the rear wheels depending on the where the power is required. The rear diff also features a trick setup with active torque vectoring, which will distribute power to each wheel according to the level of grip available and the driving mode being used.

Lamborghini has also outfitted the Urus with the rear-wheel steering setup found in the Aventador S. This system can vary the steering angle by three degrees in either direction and is used at low speed to assist manoeuvrability and at higher speeds to increase the car's stability.

To make sure the Urus can tackle the twisty stuff as well as off-roading, it’s been equipped with adaptive air suspension which allows the car to be raised or lowered from 158mm to 248mm to cover a variety of driving conditions. This setup is also changeable via the Urus’s various drive mode selection system. As standard the car comes fitted with 21-inch alloy wheels shod in Pirelli tyres developed especially for the super-SUV, buyers can also spec a 23-inch wheel as an option, because after all, what’s a Lamborghini without a little bit of madness.

The Urus possesses a total of six driving modes which are designed to make it a daily driver with all the performance of a Lamborghini. The obvious ‘Sport’ mode lowers the car for improved handling, with ‘Corsa’ mode giving the Urus its maximum attack mode.

Other driving modes include ‘Neve’ for snow and ice, ‘Terra’ for off-roading and ‘Sabbia’ for traversing sand dunes when the mood takes you. There is even a fully customizable drive mode, titled ‘Ego’ which allows drivers to create a mix of all of the available driving options. The final mode for just driving around town is ‘Strada’ which turns down the engine note and reduces the driving dynamics to a comfort mode of sorts. All of these selectable modes work with the specially tuned dampers that continually adjust to the conditions, offering an increased level of damping in hard cornering while absorbing the rougher terrain in the straights when you need it most.

On the inside, it’s all very Lamborghini with the Y-design dashboard setup cocooning the driver. The hexagonal design continues throughout the interior along with the usual luxuries including a fully customizable TFT driver info screen and the current infotainment system. The interior can also be specced in either a four or five-seat configuration.

The Urus is expected to arrive next spring with prices starting from around £165,000 upwards.

So, have Lamborghini made the first true ‘Super-SUV’? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.